Albert Einstein

This c.  1934 terra-cotta portrait of Albert Einstein by Jo Davidson sits in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. Less well known is the fact that he was an influential civil rights activist. In 1946, Einstein worked closely with Paul Robeson on an anti-lynching campaign. Later, he and his wife welcomed Marian Anderson into their home after she was denied lodging at the Nassau Inn in Princeton, New Jersey, due to her skin color. Regarding racism in the U.S., Einstein observed, “The more I feel an American, the more this situation pains me. I can escape the feeling of complicity in it only by speaking out.” -- NPG